In 1989 an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened America, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. A father rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be, only to discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.
After the shock, he remembered the promise he had made to his son: “No matter what happened, I’ll always be there for you!” And tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of ruins that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his promise to his son.
Remembering his son’s classroom would be in the back right corner of the building, he rushed there and started digging.
Other parents tried to pull him off the ruins, saying: “It’s too late! They’re all dead! You can’t help!” He replied, “Are you going to help me now?” The fire chief showed up and tried to pull him off the school’s ruins saying, “Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere. You’re in danger. We’ll take care of it. Go home.” This loving, caring American father asked, “Are you going to help me now?”
The police came and said, “You’re, anxious and it’s over. Go home. We’ll handle it!” He replied, “Are you going to help me now?” No one helped.
Courageously he went on alone. He dug for eight hours...12 hours...24 hours...36 hours...then, in the 38th hour, he heard his son’s voice. He screamed his son’s name, “ARMAND!” He heard back, “Dad! It’s me, Dad! You promised no matter what happened, you would always be there for me! You did it, Dad!” “What’s going on in there? How is it?” the father asked.
“There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. ”
“Come out, boy!”
“No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, because I know you’ll get me! No matter what happens, I know you’ll always be there for me!”Why did the father keep digging?
| A．Because he promised his wife he would take care of their son. |
| B．Because others persuaded him to do so. |
| C．Because he promised his son that he would be with him whatever happened. |
| D．Because his son was his only child. |
Many people came up and tried to persuade the father to stop digging except ______.
| A．the police | B．the fire chief |
| C．some kind parents | D．the medical officer |
Which of the following best describes the son?
| A．Calm, hopeful and strong-minded. |
| B．Careful, helpful and absent-minded. |
| C．Frightened, hopeless and thankful. |
| D．Cold-hearted, honest and faithful. |
What does the underlined word “they” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
| A．those parents | B． the students |
| C．the teachers | D．The fire officers |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand |
| B．you cannot go on well in life until you forget your past failures |
| C．love can set us free from all fear and overcome the difficulties |
| D．we have enough happiness to make us sweet and enough sorrow to keep us human |
Three Boys and a Dad
Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother. Expecting a whole day to relax, he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favourite TV talk show on his first day off in months. “This will be like a walk in the park,” he’d told his wife. “I’ll look after the kids, and you can go visit your mom.”
Things started well, but just after eight o’clock, his three little “good kids”—Mike, Randy, and Alex—came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted “breakfast, daddy.” When food had not appeared within thirty seconds, Randy began using his spoon on Alex’s head as if it were a drum. Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat（节拍）. Mike chanted “Where’s my toast, where’s my toast” in the background. Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.
Life became worse after breakfast. Mike wore Randy’s underwear on his head. Randy locked himself in the bathroom, while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants. Nobody could find clean socks, although they were before their very eyes. Someone named “Not Me” had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes. Brad knew the talk show had already started.
By ten o’clock, things were out of control. Alex was wondering why the fish in the jar refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall with his colour pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared to be reading quietly in the family room，but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands. Brad Realized that the talk show was over and reading would be impossible.
At exactly 11:17, Brad called the daycare centre (日托所）.“I suddenly have to go into work and my wife’s away. Can I bring the boys over in a few minutes?” The answer was obviously “yes” because Brad was smiling.When his wife left home, Brad expected to ______ .
| A．go out for a walk in the park. | B．watch TV talk show with his children. |
| C．enjoy his first day off work. | D．read the newspaper to his children. |
Which of the following did Randy do?
| A．Drawing on the wall. | B．Eating apple jam. |
| C．Feeding the fish. | D．Reading in a room. |
Why did Brad ask the daycare centre for help?
| A．Because he wanted to clean up his house. |
| B．Because he suddenly had to go to his office. |
| C．Because he found it hard to manage his boys home. |
| D．Because he had to take his wife back. |
This text is developed______
| A．by space. | B．by comparison. | C．by process. | D．by time. |
Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear(鞋类)in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits(展品)from all over the world. You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars.
| Room 1 The celebrity(名人)footwear section is probably the most popular in the entire museum. Started in the 1950s there is a wide variety of shoes and boots belonging to everyone from queens and presidents to pop stars and actors! Most visitors find the celebrities' choice of footwear extremely interesting. |
| Room 2 Most of our visitors are amazed—and shocked—by the collection of “special purpose” shoes on exhibition here at the Museum of Footwear. For example, there are Chinese shoes made of silk that were worn by women to tie their feet firmly to prevent them from growing too much！ |
| Room 3 As well as shoes and boots, the museum also exhibits shoeshaped objects. The variety is unbelievable. For example, there is a metal lamp that resembles a pair of shoes, and Greek wine bottles that look like legs！ |
| The Footwear Library People come from all over the world to study in our excellent footwear library. Designers and researchers come here to look up information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear. |
Where would you find a famous singer's shoes?
| A．Room 1. | B．Room 2. | C．Room 3. | D．The Footwear Library. |
All exhibits each room ________.
| A．share the same theme | B．have the same shape |
| C．are made of the same material | D．belong to the same social class |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The oldest exhibits in Room 1 were made in the 1950s. |
| B．Room 2 is the most visited place in the museum. |
| C．Room 3 has a richer variety of exhibits than the other two. |
| D．Researchers come to the Footwear Library for data. (资料，数据) |
The purpose of the text is to get more people to ________.
| A．do research | B．design shoes | C．visit the museum | D．follow celebrities |
A subject which seems to have been insufficiently studied by doctors and psychologists is the influence of geography and climate on the psychological and physical health of mankind. There seems no doubt that the general character of the landscape, the relative length of day and night, and the climate must all play a big part in determining what kind of people we are.
It is true that a few studies have been made. Where all the inhabitants of a particular area enjoy exceptionally good or bad health, scientists have identified contributory factors such as the presence or absence of substances like iodine, fluoride, calcium, or iron in the water supply, or perhaps types of land that provide breeding places for pests like mosquitoes or rats.
Moreover, we can all generalize about types of people we have met. Those living in countries with long dark winters are apt to be less talkative and less vivacious than inhabitants of countries where the climate is more equable. And where the olive and the orange grow, there the inhabitants are cheerful, talkative, and spontaneous.
But these commonplace generalizations are inadequate: the influence of climate and geography should be studied in depth. Do all mountain dwellers live to a ripe old age? Does the drinking of wine, rather than beer, result in a sunny and open temperament? Is the strength and height of one of the Kenyan tribes due to their habitual drinking of the blood of cows?
We are not yet sure of the answers to such questions, but let us hope that something of benefit to mankind may eventually result from such studies. _____ might serve as a suitable title for this selection.
| A．The Importance of Geographical Environment |
| B．The Influence of Geographical Environment on Man |
| C．Generalization of Types of People |
| D．Geographical Environment, a Mysterious Subject |
Using context clues we may infer that " iodine, fluoride and calcium" are _____.
| A．substances which act positively or negatively on man's health |
| B．harmful substances in the water supply |
| C．substances which help provide breeding places for pests |
| D．substances contributory to good health |
We may infer from the third paragraph that geography and climate play an important role in determining the inhabitants' _____.
| A．health condition | B．personality | C．life-span | D．all of the above |
According to the author, research into the influence of geography and climate should_____.
| A．focus on some unknown aspects | B．be pursued on a larger scale |
| C．be carried out within a larger scope | D．go much deeper |
The author hopes that studies on the influence of geographical environment will enable us to
| A．generalize better about types of people | B．find better water supplies |
| C．gain an insight into its influence on mankind | D．live to a ripe old age |
Babysitter(保姆)Wanted
I am seeking a babysitter for my 6-month-old son. A few hours on Saturdays and Sundays to help me and then other times as needed. He or she should be over 18, responsible, loving, warm, and have some experience in caring for babies. The pay is $10 an hour.
If this sounds like a good job to you, please reply to rebecharv@aol.com or call 800-4964.
Office Manager Wanted
Our company is looking for a full-time experienced manager to run the business. Strong skills in organization and business management are required for this position. Also, he or she should be familiar with computers.
Please reply to jim@californiaaquatics.com or call 800-6978 to apply.
Waiter/ Waitress Wanted
A restaurant is looking for an experienced waiter / waitress. Knowledge of wines and experience in dining are necessary. Must work well under pressure and understand the basics of fine dining and customer service.
If you’re interested, please contact us at job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org to apply.
This is a part-time job.
Office Cleaner Wanted
Looking for a Part-time job? A position in the Mississauga area needs an office cleaner! Part-time 4 hours a day from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
Some experience is necessary. Pay:$15 per hour
Reply to: job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org. or call 800-8197.Which of the following position is a full-time job?
| A．Babysitter. | B．Office manager. | C．Waiter / waitress. | D．Office cleaner. |
If you want to apply for the job as a babysitter, you should send an email to ______.
| A．job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org | B．job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org |
| C．jim@californiaaquatics.com | D．rebecharv@aol.com |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The office cleaner has to work three hours each day. |
| B．One can apply for a waiter or waitress by telephone. |
| C．Experience is necessary for all these four jobs. |
| D．A babysitter earns $5 more than an office cleaner per hour. |
I’d just got in a taxi at the railway station when suddenly I found one of my suitcases missing. Just then, I saw a young fellow about 30 walking away with it, opening it and drawing out the valuables. “Stop thief! Stop thief!” I shouted and threw open the car door and rushed out to him, followed by the driver and half a dozen passers-by. Very soon the thief was cornered at the turn of the road. My driver caught the thief by the neck and put his hand into his trouser pocket, drawing out money, credit card, telephone book and so on and put them back into my suitcase.
Half an hour later, the car was running at full speed on the express highway. I sat back and breathed a long sigh of relief (松口气). But as I pulled out those stolen things from the suitcase and started to check them, I became dumbfounded (惊呆了). Before my eyes were 200 yuan instead of 100. And a blood test report of a 58-year-old woman appeared. I suddenly realized that the taxi driver must have mistaken the thief’s belongs and put his into my suitcase. The pitiful and begging look of the poor young man flashed across my mind again. My heart began to sink.
Two years has passed since then. But this event keeps coming back to me. Was the young man a habitual robber or a dutiful son who had been driven to desperation (铤而走险) to find money to save his mother’s life? My heart aches for him. How I wish I had gone back that summer afternoon to return the 200 yuan and say sorry to him. For the first time in my life, I realized that hate and love are very close.Why was the writer dumbfounded when he opened his suitcase?
| A．Because he was now searching a different suitcase. |
| B．His own blood test report has changed into an old woman’s. |
| C．An old woman had put her savings into his suitcase. |
| D．He was facing things that did not belong to himself. |
Who helped the writer catch the thief?
| A．No one. He caught the thief all by himself. |
| B．The driver with several other people. |
| C．Some policemen. |
| D．The thief came back and gave back the suitcase to him. |
What was one of the reasons for the young man to steal in the writer’s opinion?
| A．The young man was a born thief. |
| B．The young man couldn’t afford to pay for his old mother’s medical treatment. |
| C．The young man’s mother asked him to do so. |
| D．Young people are likely to steal when they are poor. |
The major purpose for the writer to write this passage is ______.
| A．to describe what hate and love are like |
| B．to entertain the readers with an interesting story |
| C．to impress the readers with an interesting story |
| D．to encourage the readers to help him find the thief |